Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show Review- Fabulous

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show at the Cadillac Palace Theater 151 W. Randolph, February 4-9 is an exhilarating experience for everyone and all ages. This production celebrates music through lyrical instrumentals, poetic story telling, joyful folk dancing and a journey to exotic lands. The video backdrop will entice you to want to book a trip to the magical Isle of Ireland immediately.

Riverdance Photo Credit Jack Hartin

This Anniversary Show opens with a video
retrospective honoring Michael Flately,
an Irish American choreographer and dancer. He was raised in Chicago. Jean Butler, choreographer, Irish
dancer, actress, and her dancing partner Colin
Dunne among other luminaries who created and performed in the original Riverdance are also featured. Their
choreography has not lost its original luster in this more intimate scaled down
latest production.

One expects the stand-up tall, perfectly
powerful precision world champion dancers to be awesome. They are. Jason O’Neill and Maggie Darlington, principal
performances are stellar. They leap twist turn kick with athleticism and
prowess while performing their rapid-fire hard shoe routines and graceful,
elegant soft shoe. Most of these dancers have been training since they were 3
and 4 years old.

Riverdance – Firedance – Photo Credit Jack Hartin

They, however, are not the only stars gracing
the stage. The enchanting clear voiced soloist and celestial choruses were a
mesmerizing. Fiery Flamenco Soloist, Rocio
Montoya, with her evocative, sensuous twirls and stomps commands the stage.
Lamont Brown and Tyler Knowlin, The Riverdance Tappers
thrilled the audience with the high-energy soul tapping and humorous mimicry of
the trinity of Irish steppers in a Brooklyn staged scene. The Riverdance
Russian Folk Dance Troupe was wild with their dervishes and prisvadka, or what
we know as the traditional Russian squat, knee-bending, kick dancing.

Riverdance – Caoineadh Cú Chulainn – Photo Credit Jack Hartin

The Riverdance band is equally as gifted and
talented as the dancers. Laura Williams
on drums and percussion was thoroughly entertaining during a humorous audience
engaging solo performance. Cathal Croke
played a melancholic haunting melody on an unusual instrument called the
Uillean pipes. Ceildih Briscoe is a
fabulous fiddler from a classical violinist background. Emma Frampton on saxophone added a jazz edge to the traditional
music. The finale had the audience on their feet with wild applause for this
soul uplifting performance.